Mahi and aroha – how Te Kōhanga Reo worked with whānau at Alert Level 4

Kia kaha e hoa mā! It was a team effort, and the kindness of everyone who helped distribute packs was astounding.

It was a big job, but one they were up for, says Kerry Jones, district manager for Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust ki Tāmaki Makaurau.

Firstly, they liaised with the Ministry of Education about the number of packs needed and confirmed the enrolled number of tamariki in each kōhanga reo.

They then unloaded more than 170 boxes from courier trucks and advised kōhanga reo the packs had arrived, allocating times they would be delivered over a two-day period.

For issuing the packs, they set up non-contact sites with the Covid tracking QR code, sanitiser and a register for people to sign up to the packs. Boxes were then loaded onto the tables – spaced three metres apart – for whānau to uplift and place directly into their vehicles. Whānau arrived in masks, scanned, sanitised, loaded their packs, signed for them and left.

“The consensus is that the packs came at the right time,” says Kerry.

Parents and whānau are able to offer something different to their tamariki, she says, and are keeping connected via social media and Zoom.

“The ongoing care and aroha that our whānau and kaimahi have had not only during this lockdown, but all lockdowns since this ngāngara came on the scene, has never ceased to amaze me.”

Kua reri mātou. All set up with contact tracing and signage, the team are ready to distribute packs.

Learning from home

There are a number of options available for ākonga to learn from home during an emergency event, or Covid-19 Alert Levels 3 and 4. 

• Kāinga Kōhanga Reo(external link) is a community resource for kōhanga whānau in Tāmaki Makaurau, to connect through the internet and bring te reo Māori into the home.
  
  
• Learningfromhome.govt.nz(external link) is loaded with resources, guidance and information for parents, whānau, teachers and leaders from early learning to senior secondary.
   
• Home Learning TV | Papa Kāinga is available at TVNZ online(external link).

• Ki te Ao Marama(external link) has downloadable resources for Māori-medium learning.
   
• Mauri Reo, Mauri Ora(external link) is a reo Māori distance learning programme, available on Māori Television’s Te Reo channel.
  
  
• Pacific communities can access information, resources and learning tips in 10 Pacific languages(external link).